Quickly gaining popularity amongst farmers around the world, ginger is the crop people can’t stop asking about! We spoke to a couple of our farmers in the Glasshouse Mountains in sunny Queensland, Australia about their experience growing ginger in partnership with Galuku.

Located on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland Australia, the Glasshouse Mountains host a variety of breathtaking views and natural landmarks. As well as their beautiful mountain hikes, they also play host to local farmers, many of whom we are privileged to work with at Galuku. We spoke to our customers, Ross Laker and Caroline Stanley from Ginger Nutz Pty Ltd and James Stretch from Stretch Family Farms, about their Ginger growing experiences.

Before taking on this season, Ross and Caroline had never grown ginger or a similar crop before. Ross explained “We have had a macadamia orchard for over 20 years, however we wanted to diversify into another crop, so we thought we would try ginger.”

They did a lot of research into other options they could grow on their farm, ultimately settling on hydroponic ginger as the right crop. Having recently reduced her hours working in the travel industry due to COVID-19, Caroline was looking to get more involved in the farm with a crop that didn’t require too much heavy machinery – ginger fit the bill on this and so many other levels.

Without much idea how to start or setup in the most effective way, Ross & Caroline turned to their neighbours for recommendations and landed on working with Galuku.

James Stretch and his family had already grown ginger for one season before turning to Galuku for help. “We used generic bags and coir initially, and hydrated the coir ourselves, it was a lot of work.” After less than ideal working conditions and results, the Stretch’s began working with Galuku for this season’s crop. “We had an extra challenge due to a complicated shipping problem, but the way Galuku handled it and supported us is a big testament to the partnership we have.”

Once the decision was made to work with Galuku, it came time to order and implement infrastructure, with both Ross and Caroline and the Stretch’s working with Galuku to devise the most effective setup and growing conditions for their budget.

With zero infrastructure to start with, Ross and Caroline chose to invest in the suggested whole technical setup, even though it took week-long days of 10-12 hours a day just to prepare for the crop. As Caroline said, “There was never really a question, it always if we were in, we were in 100%.” This all-in investment has been absolutely worth it according to them.

“With what we’ve set up, we are hopefully set for 10 years or more, because the infrastructure’s on the ground, irrigation controls, pumps and everything all set up. So it’s really only a matter of taking the bags off and replacing them with new ones” said Ross.

Working closely with Agronomist Ronan Hoyle from Galuku’s in-house technical team, both farm’s implemented Galuku’s patented EasyFil Planter Bags with specialised coir substrate and planted their respective ginger crops.

Ross said “The bags appear to be good to grow ginger in, they were easy to set up and will be practical to replace at the end of the growing season. Plus you’re not carrying any disease from one to the next crop.”

James said “The labour and time for preparation and planting was greatly reduced using the Galuku EasyFil PlanterBags”, helping them to plant quicker and start growing their crop successfully with less time and money spent.

Despite unavoidable delays of varying kinds, with Ronan’s guidance both farm’s crops started to show strong results. Ross and Caroline spoke highly of Ronan, saying, “Without Ronan we would have been lost. He has been really exceptional with his support, we send WhatsApp messages back and forth almost every day and he’s always made himself available the best possible way he can.”

James Stretch also praised the support from Galuku’s in-house technical team, saying “It’s been invaluable to be able to quickly send a WhatsApp message and get answers. That support has been invaluable, we don’t have to bear the brunt on our shoulders.”

With harvest fast approaching, the Glasshouse Mountains grower’s crops have exceeded expectations to date. “Looking at the biomass on top of the top of the crop, plus the amount of ginger we can see that have grown throughout the bags, it’s a result we are happy with” says Ross Laker.

As well as the support and guidance from Galuku’s technical team, Ross attributes some of their results to the rootzone monitoring system they implemented as supplied by Galuku. “It’s been very useful, helping us so we can see what’s down into the bags and what’s coming out of the bags as a drain on the EC. That indication of the moisture content is probably the biggest tool we’ve used.” Knowing exactly what is going on with their crop has helped them quickly and effectively address any issues, and give the plants what they need when they need it.

James Stretch says that the support provided is the biggest reason they will continue to work in partnership with Galuku. “Having the opportunity to tap into that knowledge base and not ever feel we’re alone has been invaluable.”

At Galuku we are thrilled to see all of our customer’s hard work pay off, and feel privileged to have been a part of helping them. Looking to get started growing ginger commercially? Download our free intro to ginger growing guide or book a consultation to find out how we can partner with you too.